Measuring apparatus.



11.0. MUG-AN. MEASURING APIfARA-TUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

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D. G. MOGAN.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILEDVJAN. 26, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, .1911,

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D. O. MOOAN.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

AIPLIOATION FILED JAN. 26, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

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ratus.

DAVID C. MGCAN, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

Application filed January 26, 1910. Serial No. 540,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID C. MCCAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a certain new and useful hleasuring Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a measuring device, and has particularreference to a means for determining the quantity of waste ma 'terialnecessary to be fed to a press for making fuel briquets from loosewaste, such as wood shavings, sawdust and the like.

The invention also has reference to a means for preventing the packingof the loose material in the delivery chute, and to a mechanismcooperatively connected with a fuel press for inclosing a deliveredcharge in the feeding bore of a fuel press, whereby to cause all of apredetermined amount of material to be compressed in a final fuel block.

An object of this invention is to provide a measuring apparatus forloose wood waste in which the quantity of material may be regulatedduring the revolution thereof.

Other objects will appear from the accompanying drawings, specificationand claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation showing a fragment of afeeding plunger, the feed hopper, the segmental weight and gate forshutting off the supply to the feed bore, and means for intermittentlyoperating the same; the measuring apparatus is shown mounted on the feedhopper, and the agitator or loosening means within the end of thedelivery chute. Fig. 2, is a fragmentary plan view of the measuringappa- Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the same, partly broken to discloseinterior construction. Fig. 4;, is a plan view of the hopper, the gateoperating therein, and the shaft for operating the same, and Fig. 5, isa sectional elevation showing the operative position of the gate in thehopper, the inoperative position being shown in dotted lines.

In the drawings, 1, designates a base provided with a compressionchamber 2. At right angles to said compression chamber is a boss 3,provided with a bore 4, in which a plunger 5, operates, andcommunicating with the bore l, in said boss 3, is a hopper 6, mounted onthe base 1, and the boss 3.

7 designates a housing provided with flanges 8, which are arranged to befastened to the flanges 9, cast integral with the hopper 6. Within saidhousing 7, is a drum 10, consisting of end annular disks 11, conjoinedby slightly curved vanes 12, which are fastened to said disks by bolts13. These end disks 11, are mounted on a shaft 14;,

and are arranged to be rotated by a sprocket 15, fixedly mounted on saidshaft 141, and a chain 16, shown in dotted lines Fig. 1. The said curvedvanes 12, extend in close prox imity to but free of the shaft 14, andthe space intervening between the shaft and the end of the vanes, isclosed by a plurality of plates 17, which normally lie in engagementwith the curves of said vanes, and which are arranged so that their freeends may be moved along the periphery and describe the same are as thatof the vanes, 12. These plates are provided with toe-edges 18, whichscrape the loose material from the vanes, and are mounted on arbors 19,extending transversely through them and the end disks 11. On the arborends 20, that extend beyond the end of said disks, are mounted pinions21, which are arranged in mesh with a large gear wheel 22, keyed to ahub 23. This hub 23 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 24, providedtherefor in a yoke 25, which straddles and is secured to the end of thehousing 7. A hand wheel 26, is keyed onto said hub 23, and by this wheelthe position of the plates 17, relatively to the vanes 12, may bechanged. The aforementioned shaft 14, which extends through the hub 23,on which the large gear wheel 22, is mounted, has a running lit in saidhub. lVhen the shaft is driven, through the medium of the sprocketwheel, the drum, with the curved vanes, plates 17 and gears 21, isrotated, and the large gear 22, sleeve 23 and hand wheel 26, which arerigidly connected together, also rotate, at the same relative speed asthe drum and shaft, the larger gear 22 being in mesh with the smallergears 21 and the frictional resistance of the various parts beingsufficient to prevent relative movement of the gears and to cause thegear 22, sleeve 23 and hand wheel 26 to rotate with the drum. To changethe angular positions of the plates 17, and thus increase or decreasethe capacities of the compartments, the hand wheel may be adjusted whilethe drum is in motion, or during intervals when it is stopped, and suchadjustment of the hand wheel, it is obvious, will turn the sleeve 23 onthe shaft and, through the gears 22 and 21, adjust therplatc's 17,simultaneously. The movement or revolution of said drum 15 intermittentin order to cause a discharge of the material from one of thecompartments at each quarter revolution thereof through the'mouth 27, ofthe housing 7, and at the same tlme a feedmg of the material to anotherof the compartments from the chute the chute cannot be avoided unlessmechanical means be employed. Such a means is shown in Fig. 1, andcomprises a plate or bar 33, provided with a plurality of spikes 34 onits upper surface, and mounted, within the chute, upon a rock-shaft orspindle 36.

The supporting plate or bar for the spikes should be narrow, as comparedwith the d1- 7 ameter of the chute, in order to permit the wastematerial to travel through the chute,

' past the plate. The spiked plate or bar is rocked by means of a link35, secured to the rock-shaft 36, and connected to a rod 37 which isreciprocated by an eccentric 38 fixed on a shaft 39, which latter shaftis rotated by means of a pulley 40, chain or belt 41 and the pulley 42.Thus as the spindle is rotated, the spiked plate is oscillated, loosen.-ing thereby the mass of shavings collected in the chute, which shavingsthen fall through the spaces between the spikes 34.

Uniform compression of the blocks or briquets cannot be attained unlessall of the material deposited from one of the compartments of the drum10 is forced into the bore 4, at each operation of the plunger 5. As theoperation of the plunger tends to buckle the material and compress someofit out of the path of the plunger and into the hopper 6, I haveprovided means, more -particularly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5,

for preventing this occurrence, and for insuring the compression of allof the material in each charge deposited in said bore from thecompartments of the drum. A

segment 43 is rigidly mounted'on a pin or pivot 44 in the boss 3, saidsegment being arranged to operate in an opening provided therefor in thehopper 6, and to extend into the bore 4, and into the path of theplunger 5. A link 45, is connected with said segment and with a sleeve46, which is slidably mounted on a rod 47, having a collar '48, againstwhich the said sleeve no'rn'lally abuts. The said rod 47, is connectedto a boxlng 49 in which 1s lnclosed an eccentric .50, which is fixed ona shaft 51, intermittently actuated by the intermittent gears 30 and 31.

In the positions indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, the plunger is about totravel forward. In so doing it engages the face of the segment 43, whichprojects into the bore of the boss 3, and forces it upwardly, the link45, meanwhile traveling with said segment and compressing the spring 52,which is coiled about the rod 47, and held against displacement by nuts53 and 54. Thus the forwardly traveling plunger forces all of thematerial into the compression chamber 1, while the knife 55, on theinside of the hopper 6,'removes all particles of wood shavings from thesame. The hub 56 of the segment is also provided with a knife or scraper57, which is arranged to remove all of the adhering particles from theplunger during its recession. At the completion of the compressionstroke of the plunger the segment is in the dotted position shown inFig; 5, and a new charge of material then enters the hopper 6. As theplunger moves outward, the segment returns to the position shown in fulllines, Fig. 5, and holds the material in line with the plunger for thenext operation. 7 From the above description, it will be seen that thesegment acts not only as a gate to prevent additional material fromentering the hopper, but also serves to press the wood shavings firmlyinto the bore of the feed plunger, and hold such wood shavings thereinby positive action until the feeding plunger has delivered the charge tothe compression chamber.

What I claim, is i 1. The combination with a housing having receivingand discharge openings, of a drum rotatably mounted within said housingand provided with a plurality of compartments, a series of pivotedplates, one

in each compartment, and means for simultaneously adjusting said platesto vary the capacities of said compartments.

2. The combination with a housing having receiving and'dischargeopenings, of a drum rotatably mounted within said housing and having aseries of curved partitions extending from the central portion of thedrum to its periphery and dividing the drum into compartments, a seriesof plates, one in each compartment, pivoted upon axes concentric withthe concave sides of said partitions and extending into proximity tosuch sides, and means for simultaneously adjusting said plates to varythe capacities of said compartmentsg '3. The combination with a housinghaving receiving and discharge openings, of a suitably journalcd shaftin said housing, a drum on said shaft having a series of curvedpartitions extending from the central portion of the drum to itsperiphery and dividing the drum into compartments, a series of arbors,one in each compartment, arranged at the centers of curvature of saidpartitions, plates upon said arbors extending into proximity to theconcave faces of said partitions, pinions upon said arbors, a gearmounted on said shaft and engaging all of said pinions, and a hand wheelconnected to said gear.

at. The combination with a housing having a receiving throat and adischarge mouth, of a drum journaled within said housing and providedwith a plurality of compartments, arbors extending through said drum, aplurality of plates fixed to said arbors and lying within saidcompartments, pinions on said arbors, a gear wheel in mesh with saidpinions, a hand wheel to rotate said gear wheel whereby to cause saidplates to move relatively to said compartments, and means to rotate saiddrum.

5. The combination with a housing hav ing a receiving throat and adischarge mouth, of a drum rotatable in said housing and provided with aplurality of compartments, a plurality of plates journaled within saiddrum, pinions to move said plates to regulate the capacity of saidcompartments, a sprocket to revolve said drum, and means to operate saidpinions independently of said drum.

6. The combination with a housing having a receiving throat and adischarge mouth, of a drum having a plurality of compartments, aplurality of plates, one journaled in each of said compartments, pinionson the journals of said plates, a yoke secured to the end of saidhousing, a hub rotatably mounted in said yoke and provided with a gearwheel arranged in mesh with said pinions, a hand Wheel on said hub tooperate said gear, and a shaft extending through said hub and forming afixed mount for said drum, said shaft being provided With a drivingmeans for the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

DAVID C. MoCAN.

Witnesses H. J. PINNEY, R. D. MIDDLETON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of-Iatentm Washington, D. C.

